Little changes add up!

It's a little early, but we seem to have Spring Cleaning Fever around here. There are lots of changes underway, mostly because we finally caved and purchased a small storage unit to hold our seasonal and bulk items (such as the keyboard, the Christmas trees, etc.). I think I've been very creative with storage in this place (we only have TWO closets- no linen or coat closet, no pantry, just two in each bedroom). But the additional space of the storage unit will be a big help, especially since I LOVE decorating for Christmas and take up a lot of space just with my holiday boxes! 

Anyway, as we were getting things ready to go to the unit, we started questioning and reorganizing everything left behind as well. One example is the dining room. Here is a picture of the dining room the week we moved in: 

The "Before" pic taken the week we moved in. My table never looks this empty nowadays!

Our condo first floor is open concept, so the living, dining and kitchen are all together. It felt most natural to have the table in this direction because then everyone seated could feel that openness into the living room. There wasn't room for anything else though, and I had always kind of wanted a buffet in the dining room. Someplace where we could put extra dishes, and that could also serve as storage for my many table linens, candles, etc. 

Here is what we are testing out now. I haven't really tried to style it at all, we are simply testing out the flow and the feel of having the table turned in the other direction. 

The "After" pic. It's in B&W because I took it last night and the color photo looked so dark! 

It's not a dramatic change, but it opens up enough space for a small buffet, which I love. Sometimes small changes can make a big difference! I won't commit to it until we've lived with it awhile, which is a good rule with layout changes. You have to grow out of the discomfort that comes from it being different to really see if you like it sometimes!

There will be more little changes coming as the decluttering and reorganizing continues! Stay tuned. =)